Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Jim Holt DOES Exist

Media rediscovers Holt, but whose zoomin who?*******************************It appears that the media has re-discovered the existence of former State Senator Jim Holt. Holt is one of the many running for the GOP US Senate nomination. He is also the man who currently holds the record for receiving more votes in a single election than any living Arkansas Republican (nope, its not a Hutchinson, not a Huckabee, its Jim Holt). A few days ago I did a piece called "Jim Holt Does Not Exist" because of the repeated failure of the media to include Holt in Senate race polls. In the latest instance, they included a candidate who dropped out weeks ago (Tom Cox) but did not include Holt.

Holt and the establishment print media in this state have a history. They have tried to destroy him as a political figure, but so out of touch are they with the average primary voter that their attacks have often backfired. "That bigot Jim Holt wants to limit marriage to one man and one woman." "That bigot Jim Holt wants to deny public benefits to illegal aliens (undocumented immigrants)." The folks at the press club might be mortified, but Main street loves it.

I was working with Holt back then and it happened so often that we actually coined a term for it: "Briar patch negative publicity". It describes a news report where the out-of-touch lefty reporter thinks he is attacking you, but the actual effect of the "hit piece" is to rally people to your cause. I hope I am not giving away too many secrets when I say that by the end we actually angled for it. We tried to put out stuff that we knew would send them into a dither, which they would report as if they "had us" saying something outrageous. But what they considered outrageous, most of Main Street USA considered common sense. Hey, when you don't have a lot of corporate cash backing (and owning) you, you gotta get creative in finding ways to get the name out.

At any rate, though they were not the sharpest tools in the shed, I think the election results were enough to pound it into even the thickest of craniums that their tactics were not working. Since then the papers seemed to have reversed course. The apparent new tactic is simple. Jim Holt does not exist. Just have a blackout. Talk about the establishment picks and not the others, and hope the voters forget.

That's working better than their ham-fisted attack columns did, but not well enough. Two things tell me that. One is that only the two establishment picks in the race, Baker and Boozman, have the cash to poll. I am sure they have, and we have not heard a peep about it. If either of them had passed up Holt, we would have. Of course, the anti-establishment vote is split up six ways, not just two. If the grassroots and tea-party folks don't coalesce behind one of the outsiders, then Baker and Boozman MIGHT be able to squeeze into the runoff. The other thing that tells me that the print media's "Jim Holt does not exist" strategem is falling flat is the grapevine. For example I spoke with someone high up in the Saline County Tea Party two days ago. He said Holt impressed and that many who thought they had already made up their mind to back someone else were now taking another look. Following on the heels of that, Holt led a crowd of 100 protesters in asking Gov. Beebe to interpose against Obamacare.

Now the print media is returning to its form to misinform. Holt is back in the news. The reason? Har, they think they caught him making what to them is an elementary mistake. I think it is just as likely the old playbook got dusted off and the dam finally broke. The print media got tempted to go with a story they think will hurt Holt. I think they are wrong. It's Gilbert Baker that will be hurt by the story. And unlike the AP report that I linked to above, I am going to give you Holt's press release so you can make up your own mind rather than simply announce to you that the thing was accurate or inaccurate without ever letting you see it..

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Senator Gilbert Baker Co-Sponsors "Climate Change" Resolution

One year ago today, a global warming [unproven science] cap and trade Resolution was passed in the Arkansas legislature that would please Al Gore, President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid. Senator Gilbert Baker, who repeatedly advocates the "conservative cause" in his campaign speeches, was a co-sponsor of that bill.

Three months after Gilbert Baker co-sponsored SCR12, "A Resolution Regarding Transitional Climate Change Policy," the US House passed its controversial, first "climate change" legislation, H.R. 2454. At the heart of the H.R.2454 legislation is a cap-and-trade system to address global warming and to transform the way the nation produces and uses energy." 1.

The climate change bill in the US House passed by 219 to 212, with even 44 Democrats voting against it. President Obama lauded the bill as "a bold and necessary step." Republican leaders called the bill a national energy tax. Even liberal Congressman John Dingell (D-MI), is on video saying, "Nobody in this country realizes that cap and trade is a tax, and it's a great big one."

Jim Holt wants to know, "How is Senator Baker promoting the "conservative cause" by co-sponsoring this resolution on "climate change" in Arkansas, when only 8 out of 178 Washington Republicans in the nation voted for a "climate change" bill?" 2

Jim Holt added, "Does Senator Baker think Barbara Boxer and John Kerry are friends of the conservative cause.?" In the Senate, Barbara Boxer of California and John Kerry of Massachusetts have proposed another highly controversial climate change bill that Washington Republicans are heatedly fighting.

Boxer, the chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is quoted as saying about the Boxer-Kerry bill, "We know clean energy is the ticket to strong, sustainable economic growth." John Kerry also said, "This is really about America's security. It's about our economic security, our energy security and our national security." 3

The "climate change" language used by Boxer and Kerry is used in Baker's SCR12 Resolution in the following excerpts from the bill.

* [T]he issue of global climate change presents a challenge to the welfare and economy of current and future generations in Arkansas and around the world. * [A]ny approach to address the issue of global climate change should encourage a transition toward a sustainable economy. * [T]he United States consumes a disproportionate share of the world's energy supply mutual reductions in greenhouse gases. * [M]utual reductions in greenhouse gas emissions would be economically beneficial to all states and countries. * [T]he Arkansas Governor's Commission on Global Warming has recognized the role of national legislation and coordination in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. * [T]he State of Arkansas and the Arkansas General Assembly should recognize and promote the foregoing policy objectives on a state level." 4

Contrary to Boxer and Kerry's "economic growth and security," Obama, himself said of his climate change, global warming agenda, "Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Because I'm capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it…they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers." 5

According to CBS news, the cost of Obama's cap and trade will cost American households from $1,761 to $3,100 a year. Jim Holt asks, "How can Senator Baker defend this SCR 12 Resolution on climate change, based on unproven science, as a 'conservative cause', and how can skyrocketing electricity costs and a "national tax" on energy benefit Arkansans?" 6 & 7

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1.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/27/us/politics/27climate.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print"House Passes Bill to Address Threat of Climate Change," June 27, 2009 Also see # 4 for link to the Resolution Baker co-sponsored.

6. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504383_162-5314040-504383.html "Obama Admin: Cap And Trade Could Cost Families $1,761 A Year" This article said the price would be equivalent to hiking income taxes by about 15%.

7 Comments:

They think they have Holt because he called Baker's bill a "cap and trade" bill even though the bill itself did not mention that phrase. Guess what kids, neither does the federal "cap and trade" bill, The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) is an energy bill in the 111th United States Congress (H.R.2454. The closest it comes is that it mentions "capping emissions".

Even though that word is not used in the bill, its what the bill does. And when Baker (and too many other Republicans) voted for their bill which used the same language as the national bill, OF COURSE it is understood in Washington as support for a the cap and trade bill.

Odds are they voted that way because they did not want to seem heartless or uncaring on environmental matters. But if they were insincere in their call for "policy" changes and NATIONAL LEGISLATION then they fall into a trap. If they were sincere, then they were for cap and trade all along.

Better to come off a "heartless" conservative who has the courage to resist jumping on the latest faux-bandwagon. They too often head right down the trail to a loss of liberty.

I think you have everything figured out just right Mark about Holt and the press. We haven't even heard a peep about Jim Holt from Paul Greenberg and his editorals who bashed him every chance he got in other campaigns.

Boozman and Baker do not have the political DNA to resist such unconstitutional draconian things that continually will be coming down the pike such as climate change legislation(sustainable economy garbage that the so called avant garde come up with and get the lemming wanna be something legislators to sign on to) or Wall Street Bailouts or whatever the Next Big Gov't Republican President will come up with.

Don't tell me what Gilbert Believes Alice.

Show me where he has been(his voting record in LR) and

and his voting record will tell you what Bert Believes.

That is how to uncover what the true political DNA of any candidate & has proven a much more reliable indicator of how the candidate will vote on his next gig.

Baker's only remaining tactic(employed by the ever so in depth Ms. Alice-campaign staffer & Ad-Hominem in Chief)- is attacking Holt.

Problem is Bert's track record is embarrassing / hurtful to his current campaign of attempting to remake himself as someone who thinks like the rest of Arkansas.

That little paper trail of his otherwise known as his legislative track record will not go away and is a stubborn little thing he can't seem to shake.

Look at his record on Taxes, Spending, Guns, and now Climate Change while in Small Rock.